Handsome, smart, popular, not bad.

Suitable for students.

Cui Xian was also looking at Mr. Donglai, and at first sight he approved of the old man's appearance.

Kind, elegant, graceful, very good.

Suitable for being a teacher.

After staring at each other for a moment, Mr. Dong Lai asked, "Just now you said that you should return two and a half dou of grain. How did you calculate that?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Cui Xian.

Cui Xian bowed to the other party and said with a smile: "Reporting to the old man, this matter of borrowing millet and returning rice may seem like a math problem, but it is actually a question of human relations."

"When we borrowed grain last year, the two aunts naturally did not specifically agree on who would bear the profit or loss if the grain price went up or down."

"In this case, it is unreasonable to use the ever-changing grain prices as a measure of grain leasing."

"Now that grain prices have risen, Aunt Zhang lost a bushel of grain based on last year's grain prices. Aunt Li lost a bushel of grain based on this year's grain prices. If the loss is too large and all is imposed on one party, it will lead to a breakdown in the negotiations and ruin the account."

Ordinary people don’t understand inflation, risk-taking, and value allocation.

But it doesn't matter, a 'formula model' was written long ago in "Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art" - according to this model, either both parties will suffer a 'small loss' or a 'small profit', which is absolutely fair.

No one can find fault with it.

Cui Xian's words also made everyone nod their heads frequently!

They understood.

Even Mr. Ma, who initially thought he was not wrong, was stunned when he heard this.

Under Mr. Dong Lai's gaze, he saw his obedient little apprentice spread his hands and said with a smile: "So, this will lead to a situation where the losses are shared equally. Two buckets and a half are impartial. Both parties bear half of the losses due to market price fluctuations. The two good neighbors generously join hands to overcome difficulties together."

"But let's think positively. Two and a half dou of grain, at this year's price of 30 wen, is worth 75 wen. Aunt Li rented out three dou of grain worth 20 wen last year, which was worth 60 wen. In the end, she got back 75 wen, making a small profit of 15 wen."

"And Aunt Zhang, who borrowed three dou of grain last year, now only needs to pay back two and a half dou, so she has made a small profit of half a dou of grain."

After saying this, everyone burst into laughter.

They understood.

In fact, if you calculate it this way, because of the fluctuation in food prices, both aunts suffered a little loss, but it was not to the extent that one suffered a big loss while the other gained a big profit.

Very fair.

The little prodigy was clever and turned the loss into a small profit so that the two aunts could settle the accounts.

really.

Aunt Li stopped crying and said loudly, "The little prodigy has already given the answer. Mr. Zhang, please return my two and a half dou of rice to me."

Aunt Zhang opened the door and returned the two and a half dou of rice.

With the mediation of their neighbors, the two men shook hands and made peace.

Then, a group of people came to praise Cui Xian to the sky: Oh, you are indeed a little prodigy, even better than the scholar!

Ma Xiucai was so embarrassed that he felt ashamed, but he dared not underestimate Cui Xian anymore.

Cui Xian accepted the compliments from his neighbors with a smile, and made a beautiful summary: "The wheat is cheap when borrowing and expensive when returning, and the compromise is fair and beneficial to both parties! The two aunts are all kind-hearted people in Zhongjing Lane, and they know how to understand each other."

The two aunts blushed with praise.

The other neighbors also praised it, and suddenly the alley was filled with joy.

Cui Xian glanced at Mr. Dong Lai and thought, won’t you be charmed to death by my outstanding performance?

Don’t wait, come and accept me as your disciple, teacher!

Mr. Donglai was indeed so bewildered that he could not walk.

Others only saw that Cui Xian solved a difficult problem.

But what Mr. Dong Lai saw was children settling accounts, adults ending disputes, and the art of arithmetic firmly embedded in the mundane world of business!

To be able to come up with such a solution, one must not only be good at math but also have a smart mind.

Which teacher would not be confused when seeing such an outstanding student?

That's absolutely fascinating!

Mr. Donglai was very happy in his heart, but he also maintained the demeanor of a great scholar.

He wanted to praise his young apprentice a lot, but he was worried that he would think he was not calm enough.

It happened at this time.

Scholar Ma was extremely embarrassed, so he could only pretend to be busy and make small talk. He bowed to Mr. Donglai and humbly asked: "Sir, I came here today because I have a question to ask you."

"May I ask you, sir, the style of writing in the Spring and Autumn Annals is still praise and criticism. However, the Gongyang Zhuan talks about great unification, and the Guliang Zhuan emphasizes the rectification of names. The two commentaries all aim to respect the king and expel the barbarians, but each holds one side."

"Now that the northern barbarians and the southern Japanese are both invading our Daliang, what do you think, sir, should we follow the example of the Spring and Autumn Annals and cultivate virtue and respect distant countries, or should we take strict precautions against the barbarians?"

After settling the dispute over borrowing grain, the neighbors began to curiously watch the scholar explain his knowledge.

As a result, everyone looked confused.

Oh my god, is this human language? Why can’t I understand it?

After hearing this question, Cui Xian looked at Ma Xiucai in surprise.

Because these two short sentences need to use history to verify the classics, resolve the contradictions between the classics and the history, cite current politics, focus on the balance of the kingly way, combine theory and practice, and answer with historical references and the meaning of the classics.

In a word——

This question has something to say.

But Mr. Donglai asked directly: "Who asked you this question?"

Cui Xian burst out laughing.

Mr. Ma became more and more embarrassed and ashamed.

In order to be looked up to by Mr. Donglai when he asked him for advice, he went to find a senior scholar and asked him to help him write a very difficult question.

But I never expected that I would end up making things worse.

He was showing off in the alley, but was outdone by Cui Xian.

The questions asked were also directly refuted by Mr. Dong Lai.

Fortunately, although Mr. Donglai spoke rather directly, he still answered seriously: "In the Battle of Chengpu in the Spring and Autumn Annals, Duke Wen of Jin defeated Chu and made an alliance with the princes. Confucius wrote: The Heavenly King hunted in Heyang. Therefore, the Gongyang Commentary actually agrees with it, but the text does not agree with it, which is to cultivate virtue and transform the barbarians."

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